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Category: June 2020

The medical field has been subjected to countless changes and protocol adaptations in light of the pandemic. For those continuing to practice during this time, we asked our members if there were any telemedicine exam maneuver tips they felt were particularly helpful. We have shared their answers in this month’s issue.

What I’ve Found Helpful

By Pedro K. Beredjiklian, MD What I have found most helpful is to determine from the beginning of the televisit whether the patient is communicating with a standalone video source (computer, laptop) or a handheld device (tablet, phone). It can be very difficult for the patient to show the location of their pain or perform any […]

June 2020
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Two General Thoughts on Telemedicine

By Philip E. Blazar, MD I have two thoughts on telemedicine in general, which many of us have found to be surprisingly close to in-person visits for many but not all encounters. First, these types of visits are able to be more flexible in some ways than traditional appointments. Particularly during the COVID response, when […]

June 2020
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Is DASH Still Reliable for Nerve Transfer?

By Kazuteru Doi, MD, PhD The Disability of the Arm, Shoulder And Hand (DASH) Outcome Measure is the most-widely used patients’ reported outcomes in the world. It comprises of 30 items, of which 21 relate to function, 6 to pain, and 3 self-impact items. The DASH has been used as a Quality of Life (QoL) […]

June 2020
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The Value of a Physician Assistant in a Hand and Upper Extremity Practice

By Elizabeth Elander, PA-C Physician Assistants (PAs) are medical professionals typically trained at a graduate level, who are able to diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe mediations, and perform procedures. All PAs are required to work with a collaborating physician, though the exact requirements of that collaborative agreement vary by state. PAs work […]

June 2020
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Not Ideal, but Patients Were Grateful

By David B. Fulton, MD During this pandemic, our group tried to practice social distancing and did as many telehealth visits as feasible. We particularly encouraged the elderly and the immunocompromised patients to stay home and use the telemedicine option. Our group selected doxy.me as our telemedicine platform since it was easy for our patients […]

June 2020
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Physical Examination of the Hand in Telemedicine

By Kazushige Gamo, MD, PhD The upsurge of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has hastened physicians, including Japanese hand surgeons, to change outpatient practices to telemedicine. Telemedicine is ideal when distancing from patients is necessary for the safety of both the patient and the physician. However, in telemedicine, hand temperature, joint movements, and nerve sensation […]

June 2020
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My Perspective

By Shelby R. Lies, MD Our practices have changed significantly with stay-at-home orders and physicians quickly transitioned to offering telemedicine appointments. Though several virtual applications work flawlessly, many of our less technologically-inclined patients limit us to telephone visits, which are dependent on the patients’ medical education and interpretation for history-taking. I have discovered that in […]

June 2020
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Making Telemedicine Work

By Scott D. Lifchez, MD, FACS As a hand surgeon, I rely on my hands (no pun intended) to tell me what is going on with my patient. Finding exactly where they are most tender to palpation, feeling a rumble of crepitus, getting a little more laxity from one collateral ligament than the contralateral one tells […]

June 2020
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Bring the Conversation Back to the Exam Room

By Alan J. Micev, MD As a hand surgeon, I pride myself on consistency. I am compulsively on time, I almost always listen to the same music in the operating room (bossa nova, for those of you who were wondering), and at the start of a case, I tap my foot the same number of […]

June 2020
1

Telemedicine Exam Tips

By Robert C. Rhoad, MD A rapid integration of telemedicine occurred into many of our practices over the past months. Here are a few practical tips, mostly learned by trial and error, to help your exam run smoothly. Regardless of the telemedicine program used, be certain to provide clear instructions on how to access the […]

June 2020
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